EVENTS

Bacteria Lab: What's growing in your home? Week 1 of 2

What kinds of bacteria are growing in your sink or your refrigerator? How about on your keyboard at work? Does your soap really reduce the amount of bacteria on your hands? Find out by being an investigative scientist in your own home or workplace!

Join Dr. Keith Lampel of the Food and Drug Administration to discover the world of bacteria in and around us. This two-part science lab kicks off with a hands-on activity in the museum to observe the invisible bacteria that are present all around us. Participants will be shown how to prepare samples in the museum and will be able to take lab supplies with them for further investigation of their own environments.

Dr. Keith Lampel is currently the Director of the Division of Microbiology within the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a position he has held since 2005. His research interests include the development of rapid detection methods for food-borne pathogens using DNA-based technology, and identifying the genes in these bacteria that are involved in the development of disease. Dr. Lampel also holds adjunct faculty positions at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD. He was a Senior Staff Fellow at the National Institutes of Health before going to the FDA, where he was a research microbiologist for nearly 20 years. Dr. Lampel received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers College and his Ph.D. from the University of Miami, Florida, both in Microbiology.

This is the first event of a two-part series looking at bacteria in your environment. The second part of the series, held the evening of Wednesday, July 16, will allow participants to share the results of their investigations and hear more about the current work of the FDA as Dr. Lampel joins us again. Participation in both events is encouraged, but not required.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended. Contact the Koshland Science Museum at 202-334-1201 or ksm@nas.edu to purchase tickets.

This program is made possible by a Science Education Partnership (SEPA) grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Museum Location Located at the corner of 6th and E Streets, NW in downtown Washington, DC the Marian Koshland Science Museum is within walking distance of the National Mall, two Metro stations, the Verizon Center, and several other museums and attractions.